This post is an attempt to keep track of the terms that differ between dialects of English or exist in some dialects but not others: British / Australian / Canadian / American / etc.

Please note that Canada may be difficult to classify, as some regions (especially near the southern border) use US terms, while others may use UK terms.

It's a community wiki, so feel free to edit and clarify or add additional items. The comments are getting long, so use answers for discussion of specific concepts if necessary. If you're not sure what a term means, ask it as a new question and tag it with language)

Vegetables:

Eggplant (US, AU) is an aubergine (UK).

Zucchini (US, AU) is a courgette (UK) when harvested young or a marrow (UK) when allowed to mature further.

Summer Squash (US) are members of the squash family with a short storage life typically harvested before full maturity; typically available starting in the spring and summer; includes zucchini, yellow and crookneck squash.

Winter Squash (US) are members of the squash family that are allowed to reach full maturity before harvesting; typically available in the fall; includes pumpkin, acorn and butternut squash.

Arugula (US) is rocket (UK, AU).

Rutabaga (US) is swede (UK), but also called turnip or neep in some parts of the UK, particularly Scotland. (Wikipedia)

Endive (US) is chicory (Belgium, perhaps others).

Capsicum (AU) / bell pepper (US) is a pepper (UK). Note that for people with a biology background 'capsicum' also includes hot peppers (aka chilies or chili peppers)

Peppers (US) (note the plural), is typically short for chili peppers unless qualified as sweet peppers or bell peppers, or specified as peppercorn.

Mealy potatoes (US) are floury potatoes (UK). This refers to high starch, low moisture potatoes that result in significant softening when cooked (useful for mashed potatoes or using for thickening; the opposite of waxy potatoes). Sometimes called baking potatoes (US).

Herbs, Spices & Seasonings:

Cilantro (US) is known as Coriander (UK), and it tends to refer to the leaf, unless qualified as coriander seed. May be qualified as fresh coriander or green coriander. Ground coriander is always the seed.

Baked Goods:

Cookies (US, CA) are biscuits (UK, AU, NZ), while biscuits (UK, AU) refers to digestive biscuits, which are cookie shaped but more similar to a sweet cracker like the graham cracker (US, CA).

Biscuits (US, CA) are similar to a scone (UK, AU), and usually neither sweet nor savory. Note: bisquit (Germany, no plural) is sponge cake (US).

Muffin (US, AU) is a quick bread (typically using the 'muffin method') baked in forms used for cupcakes. It increasingly has this meaning in the UK too, with the prevalence of American-style coffee-shop chains. Muffin (UK) is english muffin (US, AU), a yeast leavened flat-ish bread, cooked on a griddle with a ring form.

Scone (US, CA) tends to be sweeter than a scone (UK).

Pancake (US, CA) generally refers to puffy item made from a thick leavened batter. Pancake can go by a number of names in the US, including hotcakes, griddlecakes, flapjacks and hoecakes.

Pancake (UK) is made from a thinner unleavened batter, with a result a little thicker than a french crêpe. Drop scone (or scotch pancake) (UK) is similar to a (US, CA) pancake

Flapjack (US) is the same thing as a (US) pancake. But flapjack (UK) is a baked square usually consisting of sugar/honey, butter, and oats.

Frosting (US) is icing (UK, CA, AU). In the US, frosting typically has air whipped into it, while icing (US) doesn't and dries harder.

Turnover (US) or hand pie (US) is pasty (ˈpas-tē) (UK). (Pasties (ˈpās-tēz) in the US are coverings to comply with nudity laws in strip clubs.) Turnover (US,UK) may be used in the UK for sweet versions (e.g. apple turnover).

Buttermilk (US, modern usage, aka 'cultured buttermilk') is a fermented product, basically a runny yogurt, while historically buttermilk is the liquid left over after churning butter, which when fresh is closer to skim milk.

vegetable oil (US) is any flavorless oil with a decent smoke point. It may be soy, corn, or a blend, but you can use peanut (groundnut (UK)), canola (rapeseed (UK)), or extra light (not extra virgin) olive oil.

oats (US, unless qualified are 'old fashioned' or 'rolled oats', not groats (which are sold as 'pinhead oats', 'steel cut oats' or 'Irish oatmeal' in the US).

Cooking methods:

broiling (US) is grilling (AU, UK)

grilling (US) is barbecuing (AU)

barbecuing (US) is slow cooking using wood or charcoal to impart smoke to the food

barbeque (US) (sometimes abbreviated BBQ) may refer to the either food cooked through barbequeing, or the device on which it is cooked.

In the UK, a teaspoon is 5ml, a dessert spoon is 10ml, and a table spoon is 15ml.
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VickyJul 22 '10 at 13:01

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@GalacticCowboy : it's the FDA's fault ... I put a more detailed explanation in an answer below.
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JoeJul 23 '10 at 19:35

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@GalacticCowboy : the closest I can come up with is 'Biscuit (US) is similar to a scone (UK)' as UK scones aren't like US ones.
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JoeJul 26 '10 at 16:55

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I don't think the UK is blessed with the amazing hunk of food that is the Southern US biscuit.
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hobodaveJul 26 '10 at 17:08

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"rutabaga (US) is swede (UK)" - depends where you are. The terms 'swede' and 'turnip' swap from county to county. Where I'm from a swede is a hefty yellow ball-sized lump, a turnip a white and green golf ball-sized thing. Travel further south or north and the terms swap over... PS. sugar: it's written "caster" sugar on every packet in every supermarket in the UK. Castor oil is something very different.
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GaryMar 16 '11 at 13:52

Jelly is a clear, bright product. It is generally made by cooking fruit juice and sugar with pectin as a jelling agent and lemon juice as an acid to maintain a consistent texture. Jelly is firm and will hold its shape (it 'shakes'). Generally, jelly contains no pieces of fruit, although specialty jellies, like pepper jelly, may include pieces of jalapeño or other pepper.

Jam is made from crushed or chopped fruit cooked with sugar, and often pectin and lemon juice. Jam can be a purée of fruit or have a soft pulp, but it does not contain chunks of fruit.

Preserves are fruit cooked with sugar to the point where large chunks of fruit or whole fruit, such as berries, are suspended in a syrup base. The texture of preserves is not smooth like jelly or jam.

Marmalade is a soft jelly, often citrus-based, that includes both the flesh and peel of the fruit suspended throughout the jelly base. The bitterness of the peel offsets the sweetness of the jelly.

Conserve is a mixture of more than one fruit, often with added nuts and raisins, that is cooked until it becomes thick. It is used as a spread for breads, pastries and meats, and in the latter use is closest to chutney.

Chutney is a spiced condiment of Indian origin (chatni is the Hindi word for strongly spiced) made of fruit or vegetables. It is typically served as an accompaniment to food, not as a spread. The spice level can range from mild to hot, and the consistency from a fine relish to a preserve or conserve. Fruit chutney consists of chopped fruit, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky sweet-tart-spicy mix: according to one explanation, it 'blurs the Western distinction between preserves and pickles.'

Fruit Butter, such as apple butter or prune butter, is fruit purée or pulp combined with sugar, lemon juice and spices, slowly cooked down to a smooth consistency. The 'butter' refers to its spreadability: there is no actual butter in the product.

Fruit Curd is a creamy spread made with sugar, eggs and butter, generally flavored with citrus juice and zest.

Fruit Spread is generally a reduced-calorie product made with fruit juice concentrate and low-calorie sweeteners replacing all or part of the sugar.

+1 for the detailed explanation. In Italy, we use just two terms: marmellata, and confettura.
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kiamlalunoAug 11 '10 at 16:19

Salsa qualifies as Chutney. Pickles in India are dried veggies or raw fruits soaked(?) or brined in oil with dry herbs and spices. In some cases Indian pickles may be even brined only with vinegar. In US pickles are mostly brined in vinegar and may or may not contain spices. Correct me if I am wrong.
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KumarApr 6 '11 at 6:27

So, when the Americans talk about a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich", what is the 'jelly' they refer to? Does it match the definition above (Jelly is firm and will hold its shape (it 'shakes') ), or should it really be called a "peanut butter and jam sandwich"?
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JezAug 10 '11 at 11:14

@Jez: the traditional PB&J is made with purple grape jelly, which does indeed hold its shape on, say, a spoon. However, like most jellies, it breaks down easily when spread onto the bread.
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MartiMar 12 '12 at 23:35

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Italian law (namely the Decreto Legislativo 50/2004) is even stricter about the use of those words in labels. Specifically, it defines the following products as a gelified mixture of water, sugar and: Jam (confettura): at least 35% of pulp or purée of one or more of any kind of fruit. Marmalade (marmellata): at least 20% of one of more of pulp, purée, water extract, peel from citruses only. Jelly (gelatina): at least 35% of juice or water extract of one or more of any kind of fruit. Jelly marmalade (marmellata gelatina): a marmalade deprived of any insoluble element.
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Pino PintoJul 9 '13 at 11:33

I've based this table off of a number of sources that have slightly different values; I'm going to assume that the 25°F for each gas mark is correct (as those all agree), and derived the Celcius from there, rounding to the nearest 5. See the first three for descriptive terms like 'moderate oven', as they don't all use the same adjectives.

From Charlotte Farley: endive (US) is chicory (Belgium, perhaps others). A I understand it, UK usage reverses continental usage - so the UK and US call it "endive". The rest of Europe calls it "chicory", and vice versa.

Edit by Rumtscho:

This is called "chickory" (or a clearly related word) in many continental European languages, except in Dutch. Common names in the Netherlands or Flanders are 'witloof', 'witlof' or 'Brussels lof'. (cc by-sa image by David Monniaux). It is bitter, and is often eaten as a part of a cooked dish. The root of this plant is called 'chicorei' in Dutch (so this word is related to 'chicory'), but it is used less and less (it was used as a coffee substitute).

This is called "endive" (or a closely related word) in many continental European languages, but endive or Belgian endive in the US and Canada. (cc sa-by-nc-nd image by Carlos Lorenzo). It is usually eaten raw, in a salad, interchangeably with other lettuces.* It certainly can be cooked as well (mainly the outer leaves).

There is another vegetable from the endive family. While it is commonly known as "radicchio", I've heard it referred to as "red endive". Not sure about its common use.

*sorry for the beautiful but not too recognizable picture, I couldn't find a better shareable one. Will snap it and update when I happen to buy the thing.

in the netherlands 1) is called "witlof" (white leaf) or "Brussels lof". It's eaten either raw in salad, cooked, or sautee'd (sometimes baked over with cheese). 2) in the Netherlands is eaten almost universally cooked, rarely raw (though sometimes mashed raw into cooked potatoes) 3) is used in salads to provide accents in both taste and colour/texture
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jwentingJul 14 '11 at 8:21

The above would normally be named in the UK as "chicory", "Frisee" and "Radicchio" respectively. Although "Endive" would sometimes be used to refer to any of them, especially the first two.
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NiallMay 10 '14 at 2:39